Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Mostly about the Jalur Gemilang

So it's Merdeka month. Not just any Merdeka month, but the 50th anniversary of our country's independence.

It's actually wrong to say this is our 50th Merdeka, because come 31 August 2007, we'll actually be shouting 'Merdeka!' the 51st time. If the first celebration was in 1957, this year witnesses the 51st celebration. But of course, it is right to say we have been independent for 50 years.

But I digress. Yesterday, while returning from Baktisiswa to the Science Faculty in the afternoon, I saw this:

And I couldn't help feeling that it was a little overdone. A flag is supposed to be a noble device, a symbol of pride. Not some sort of wallpaper or wrapper or ornament.

Resigning myself to the likely reality that Malaysians at large will probably never appreciate the value of a flag despite singing Jalur Gemilang repeatedly, I walked on towards the Laboratory Building where the Computer Lab is.

And then I saw this:

(Pejabat Dekan is Dean's Office)

And I thought to myself, This is how a flag should be displayed. It was hoisted high enough so as not to touch the roof (a flag should never come into contact with the surface below it), in a position where it could easily catch the wind (bendera berkibar is very important indeed!), and it was in good condition.